Appeal to swap cars for bikes for Breathe Easy Week in West Sussex

The call has gone out to “help to keep West Sussex green and clean” by swapping their cars for bikes during next week’s Breathe Easy Week.

West Sussex County Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment Deborah Urquhart has spoken of how lucky we are living in West Sussex and is encouraging people to preserve the county in all its beauty during Breathe Easy Week, which also coincides with National Bike Week (June 10-18) and National Clean Air Day (June 15).

Deborah Urquhart said: “Everyone can be affected by air pollution but some people are more vulnerable than others.

“There are simple and cost-effective things we can do now to improve air quality that will lead to improvements in public health. Road transport is an important source of pollution, so please get involved and leave your car at home.”

The council says that free events and services are open to residents in a bid to help reduce pollution, which, recent figures show can be linked to nearly 29,000 deaths a year in the UK.

West Sussex County Council staff are being encouraged to use their bikes instead of cars. For residents who want to follow suit, a range of free events are being held by the county council, Chichester District Council and Crawley Borough Council:

- Free Cycle Training for Adults – Being run throughout the summer by qualified trainers at Chichester College (Saturday June 10 from 10am – 12.30pm) www.chichester.gov.uk/cycling

- Free Guided Family Bike Ride - Departing from Oriel High School in Maidenbower, registration is at 9.30am for a 10am and there will also be free bike checks and minor repairs from 9am (Sunday June 11) cycling@crawley.gov.uk

- The National Cycle Challenge - Win prizes by cycling for at least ten minutes, logging your journey at www.lovetoride.net/uk and encouraging your colleagues to do the same.

Those particularly affected by high pollution levels are being encouraged to register with airAlert – a free service which informs users about air quality in their local area.

For more information, visit www.airalert.info or download the airAlert app from the app store.